A few weeks later.

Chanyeol had gotten a letter back from another college, but it was just informing him that he wasn't accepted into that one either. Siwon was trying to encourage Chanyeol, but he had already lost hope.

Minseok was having to start over therapy again. Siwon had gotten him a therapist after learning what he had been through. He was doing really well, but the incident with Chanyeol messed him up. He was having to go back to step one and he hated it.

Even worse, couples looking to adopt were coming into the orphanage. All of them has been really excited at first, until they realized that meant they had to leave. Go to a different place with different people. The thought of being torn apart from the others hurt.

One couple had been in Siwon’s office talking with him longer than anyone else had before. They were becoming very worried. They suspected that it was Zitao, Sehun, or Minseok that would go first, because they were the youngest. They were all gathered in Minseok's room because it was right next to Siwon’s office and held their ears against the wall. They were trying to make out some of what they were talking about, but all they heard were different voices mumbling.

After what seemed like an eternity, the office door clicked open and they all jumped back from the wall and tried to look as casual as possible.

Siwon opened the door and smiled at them. “Minseok, can you come here for a sec?”

Minseok made this noise like he just got punched in the stomach.

“It's okay Minnie. Go ahead,” Jongin whispered to him and shoved him a bit to help him stand up.

Minseok was walking on legs that felt like gelatin. He was trying to swallow the lump in his throat as he pushed the door open.

“Minseok ah~” Siwon wrapped his arm around Minseok’s shoulders and pulled him closer.

“A family came by earlier today, I really think that they're going to be a good family for you-”

“Siwon,” Minseok interrupted. “what if I don't like them? What if I go to their home and they're mean? Can I come back then?”

“Minseok, their not going to mistreat you,”

“How do you know?”

“I've known them for a while. They've been wanting to adopt but I knew that all you boys have a very tight relationship so I wasn't going to let them adopt one of you. But I think that going to live with them will be really good for you. I'm going to talk to you everyday to make sure you're doing okay. You'll still see all of us. It'll just be a different environment. They'll be by tonight and we’ll all have a little conference to see if this is gonna work out. Okay, Minseok?”

Minseok nodded. But it wasn't okay. He couldn't believe Siwon was giving him to some random family. Siwon claimed to have know them, but Minseok didn't. And Minseok was the one going to live with them.

Minseok returned to his room. They all started asking him hundreds of questions at once. Minseok could barely hear them over his own thoughts. All he could do was fall down beside Jongin and close his eyes. Jongin wrapped his arms around Minseok and somehow made all of them get quiet and leave.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Jongin said after a few minutes of silence.

“Siwon knows a family who wants to adopt and he thinks that they should adopt me,” Minseok brought his knees to his chest.

“Isn't that good? You don't want to be here forever right?” Jongin knew it wasn't good but he was trying to help Minseok feel better. “I bet they're really nice. Siwon wouldn't let you go to a bad home. And it's not like you wouldn't see us anymore. We all go to the same school. And you can call us everyday,”

“It won't be the same Jongin,”

Jongin let out a deep sigh and rested his head on top of Minseok's.

“I know Minnie,” he tightened his grip on the younger boy. “But Siwon wouldn't do this if he didn't know it was going to be okay. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. He loves us so much. You know that right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Minseok sniffled.